True leaders have the confidence to grow young leaders so there will be someone to take over from them when the time comes. But it’s the exact opposite in the Likud Party today. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gets rid of everyone who shows any potential. There are some very talented youngsters in the party, but Netanyahu visits political death on anyone who displays the slightest sign of independence or promise.
Why? Nobody knows what’s in someone else’s mind. But could it be a desire to keep holding onto the reins forever? That’s not how life works. Everyone’s time comes eventually, and it’s wise to plan ahead and not leave scorched earth behind. For the sake of the Likud, Netanyahu has to nurture young leadership. What he is doing is hurting the party, and could ultimately cause it to be replaced by an insubstantial contender like Yamina once he’s gone, all because young leaders weren’t cultivated, thereby leaving the party in ruins.
The Likud’s government ministers and members of Knesset are well aware of this, but they are paralyzed by fear. They are afraid to utter even a hint of criticism, preferring to bow and scrape. If the Likud is to remain in power, the truth must be spoken unflinchingly.
You can learn a lot about leaders by looking at the people around them. Strong, confident leaders surrounds themselves with independent thinkers who are not afraid to express their opinion, even if they disagree. That’s the only way to review past actions, analyze the processes involved, and improve. Weak leaders surround themselves with yes men who tell him only what they want to hear. Next to these little people, they look like giants.
From the moment leaders are elected, they are no longer the heads of a particular party or camp. They are the leaders of the whole country and all of its citizens. Their role is to be a force for unity, to bring people together, not to split them apart and set them against each other, especially in a time of crisis.
The entire rhetoric of “us” and “them” has to be erased. The Left is not our enemy. Iranians, terrorists and their supporters, COVID-19 – these are our enemies, and they are the ones we should be fighting. People on the Left are our brothers and sisters. We are all suffering the same economic damage from the pandemic, we all serve together in the army, and we all share the same fate.
Netanyahu has serious legal issues, but the whole of the Right isn’t facing charges, nor is the whole of the Likud, just him. To paraphrase Louis XIV, “The party is not me.” The Likud is a democratic party with a long history. It existed before Netanyahu and will continue to exist after he is gone. I wish him luck in court. Another prime minister in prison is the last thing we need.
To his credit, he has achieved a great deal over the years, and he deserves our respect. But that doesn’t mean agreeing with everything he does. It is vital that pertinent criticism be voiced, in a civilized manner of course. With all due respect, neither a whole country nor a whole party should be held hostage to one individual’s personal problems.
Translated from Hebrew by Sara Kitai (skitai@kardis.co.il).